The event is the same for solos and pairs but we feel that Scotland Coast to Coast is such a cracking weekend away with a mate that we encourage you to buddy up and earn a discount for making the 2 entries.

Yes, you do need to provide your own bike. You can bring your own, hire one locally to you and bring it along, or arrange hire from our hire provider; British Bike Hire. Give them a call or drop them an email, mention ‘Coast To Coast’ and make your booking: Tel. 0800 689 3527 – email info@britishbikehire.co.uk

No. We will provide the kayaks which are sit on tops and stable. We also provide water safety from local professionals. Please note that kayaking is done in pairs, though those at the front of the field can go solo if they arrive alone.

You will drop your bike for the final time at the Fort William transition area during the event. From here, we will transport bikes to the finish line at the Isles of Glencoe Hotel, using trucks or trailers. The bikes will then be available for you to pick up at the Isles of Glencoe Hotel after you have finished. Exact times for arrival of the bikes at Glencoe cannot be given. You can also give your bike to a supporter at the Fort William transition area. If you choose to book a bus back to the start in Nairn, we will move your bike directly there from the Fort William transition area.

Whether you are entering the Challenger or the Expert category, you will use the same bike throughout the event. The perfect bike for this event is a cyclocross bike or a gravel bike. You can complete it on a mountain bike and for Challengers this is a viable option, but Experts will struggle to get through the road riding miles within the cut offs. Road bikes are not recommended although they would be possible to use if you add appropriate tyres, good pressures and a dose of skill. The bike choice is a talking point of this event; that’s for sure. We do not allow you to switch types of bike along the route as we want both categories to be as pure as possible; this also helps not to encourage support from others en route, outside of the designed transition areas. It is possible for Challengers to swap tyres at leisure at the Fort Augustus overnight location as you could pack these into your luggage allowance. It is also possible for Experts to swap tyres at Fort Augustus but you would need to carry these tyres in your own pack, and of course the time to swap them would be in your ‘running’ time. Therefore this latter option will have hardly any takers!

There are a wealth of accommodation options available at our start town of Nairn and at the finish area around Glencoe/Ballachulish. There is also accommodation available at Fort Augustus, should Challengers wish to get a bed for the night at the mid-point. At our Challenger Fort Augustus Campsite there are glamping services for those not wishing to faff with pegs nor poles – find out more here. All campers must purchase a camping pass for the Fort Augustus campsite, which you can buy here.

Coast to Coast is a tough event. You’ll be taking on a hilly journey that is heavily impacted by weather conditions. You’ll be running, kayaking and more importantly riding into the prevailing wind, so the chances are you’ll find the riding sections tougher than your usual ride out. That being said, when the sun shines you will see the most fantastic views imaginable!

The average finishing time for Experts is 12 hours and it’s 14 (over two days) for the Challengers. You need to be fit and you need to be able to keep your energy levels up with a solid nutrition plan to be able to make this journey. If you put in some training time and arrive kitted out and prepared then this challenge is achievable, but it should not be underestimated.

Solo entries are not transferable – you can’t give or sell your entry to anyone else. If you no longer wish to take part you can obtain an event credit to the value of your entry fee paid (terms and a fee apply) which you or another person can use towards next year’s event (or any other Rat Race event). If you have purchased a pairs entry, you can add or change team members up to 10 days before the event.

Race entry includes a finishers medal and a standard Rat Race tech tee, sizes are available on a first come first served basis at Registration. Specific event tees are available to purchase online and in the Rat Race store at the event while stocks last.

No. We do not offer refunds but we do offer event transfer vouchers, so you can put your credit to another event. We need 10 clear business days’ notice prior to the event to make these changes plus you will need to pay a £15 or 15% (whichever is greater) cancellation fee. Our pricing structure rewards those that commit furthest in advance and we recommend customers hold the appropriate insurance to cover non-attendance for issues such as illness or travel problems. You can view our transfer policy here. Transfer requests can be made here. You can find full Terms and Conditions here.

All event participants and supporters will need to purchase camping passes to camp which can be bought here but anyone is free to use the bar and food concessions without a camping pass. As well as space to pitch a tent, there will be showers and toilets at the campsite, as well as an on-site bar and caterering from which you may purchase dinner and breakfast. We do not supply camping equipment unless you have booked it. See the glamping options here. The campsite is also home to our halfway finish/start line, overnight bike compound with bike mechanic, first aid point and optional kayaking section.

There are pubs, restaurants and a mini-market in Fort Augustus too. It’s a small place and easy to get around from the camp site. There is no vehicle access to the campsite unless a vehicle pass is included with your choice of camping package. Alternatively you can book a space in our supporter overnight carpark, in the field next to our campsite. There are available to purchase here. All camping passes need to be collected from Cawdor Castle registration on Friday.

You don’t have to camp. We have provided a camping service which will have a great atmosphere with loads of Coast to Coast Challengers bedding down for the night, but should you wish to bag something a bit cosier in Fort Augustus or close by, that is fine. Any arrangement/ booking you make with a local hotel are at your own responsibility.

Registration for all participants is at Cawdor Castle, IV12 5RD and is adjacent the bike drop compound. This will be confirmed for 2020 at a later date. Participants will only be able to register on the FRIDAY before the event. You will NOT be able to register ‘on-the-day’ of the event.

If you choose to take a spare pair of shoes you will need to carry them with you in your rucksack. The only exceptions are at Cawdor Castle where you can leave your cycling shoes attached to your bike (when dropping off your bike before the start of the event) and Fort William transition when you will be able to leave your cycling shoes ATTACHED to your bike or in the bag we provide to you at registration (for us to transport). WE DO NOT TAKE ANY ITEMS TO FORT WILLIAM FOR YOU.

Cut-Offs are an important part of our Event Management Plan and Risk Assessment and are based on the time of sunset. Participants venturing onto the hill or on to the water after our cut-off times would be likely to mean finishing in the dark, and as we do not specify mandatory equipment or provide safety provision for that scenario we will enforce the Cut-Offs as described. Cut-off times are applied to your departure from these locations and not your arrival. Some may finish in darkness. More information on the exact cut-off times will be announced closer to the event.

If you fail to make the cut-off you will be transported forward to the finish only.

The Kayak cut-off at Lochlevan is flexible in both directions depending on the visibility and wind conditions on the day. If conditions become too rough for kayaking, the run route will redirect you to finish at Kinlochleven where we will bus you to the finish hub.

The cut off for Experts at 1600 at Fort William is strictly applied due to the difficulty of this final run section at the end of daylight conditions. The cut off time has been chosen because of the relationship between expected run times and sunset. This is an exposed mountain environment. The cut off allows for 9 hours to reach (and leave) Fort William. Those who are unable to make this cut off will be unable to get themselves down from this mountain environment safely before darkness further increases the difficulty.

You’ve got to be at least 18 years old at the time of the event to take part, otherwise you will not be able to enter.

By entering this event you agreed that you have entered in your own name (not nickname) and will bring photographic ID to event Registration to prove your identity. If you cannot prove your identity at that time then you won’t be able to complete race registration and therefore won’t be able to race. You also agreed that in such cases, no refunds will be given or transfers to future events offered.